A network may be characterized by several factors like who can use the network, the type of traffic the network carries, the medium carrying the traffic, the typical nature of the network's connections, and the transmission technology the network uses. For example, one network may be public and carry circuit switched voice traffic while another may be private and carry packet switched data traffic. Whatever the make-up, most networks facilitate the communication of information between at least two nodes, and as such act as communications networks.
At a physical level, a communication network may include a series of nodes interconnected by communication paths. Whether a network operates as a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area networks (MAN), a wide are network (WAN) or some other network type, the act of designing the network becomes more difficult as the size and complexity of the network grows. When designing a given network, an operator or provider may decide where to physically locate various network nodes, may develop an interconnection strategy for those nodes, and may prepare a list of deployed and/or necessary networking components.